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The Cosmos travel to Indianapolis for a rematch with Indy Eleven. Round one ended in a 1-1 draw where despite having the majority of possession, New York needed a penalty to keep things square. Hopefully this time around, at Indy’s Pride Night, New York will be able to get the win.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: That man #Ledesma wins and executes a penalty late on to score a point for the Cosmos!#NYCvIND pic.twitter.com/eixBNpaNLQ
— New York Cosmos (@NYCosmos) July 5, 2017
New York knows what to expect in the second leg of this matchup. The Cosmos should be able to keep possession again, but this time around they will need to convert that possession into goals. The Cosmos’s backline will also have to look out for Indy’s counter attack. Indy was able to orchestrate some of their best chances due to the backline falling and will be looking to avenge their loss in the Championship Final last season.
In our second edition of 'Facing the Cosmos', defender @marco3franco details his experiences against NYC & what Saturday means. #IndyForever pic.twitter.com/Gnx2d7MwO9
— Indy Eleven (@IndyEleven) July 6, 2017
.@andresflo1, @RMenjivar5, and @enriquherrera17 are hoping to use their chemistry to impact @NYCosmos and @LaSelcta_SLV. #InsideTheNASL pic.twitter.com/pvC6OzZNiN
— NASL (@naslofficial) June 29, 2017
Just like in the last match, New York’s roster will be depleted due to losing four players to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Flores, Menjivar, and Hererra will be representing El Salvador and Jakovic will be representing Canada in the international competition this weekend. Squad rotation may be in the cards for New York this week. Perhaps Gio Savarese will be looking to give more Cosmos B players a chance in the first team for the match. In Fourth of July match, Montenegrin striker Bljedi Bardic made his Cosmos debut off the bench.
Player to watch
One of the biggest questions for Gio going in to this match may involve Eugene Starikov. The striker started off the season strong, but has not been getting many looks as of late. However, he showed sparks of greatness off the bench. Will Starikov make the eleven against Indy (pun intended)?
— Jimmy (@JimsMaurer) July 5, 2017
After being denied by Jimmy Maurer’s foot last match, Eamon Zayed will be looking to get on the scoreboard Saturday. David Ochieng and Harrison Barnes will have to be on the lookout for him as well as Justin Braun, who scored in the last match and has 6 goals this season.
Match Prediction
Despite their stellar away from this campaign, this match will be challenging for a depleted Cosmos squad. Indy also has a thing for tying matches. 1-1
Kickoff at “The Mike” is Saturday at 7:30. The match can be found at ESPN3 and the MSG Networks.